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Cytomegalovirus, or CMV, is found throughout all geographic locations and socioeconomic groups and infects between 50% and 80% of adults in the United States by 40 years of age. In the United States, CMV is also the virus most frequently transmitted to a developing child before birth. CMV infection is more widespread in developing countries and in areas of lower socioeconomic conditions. For most healthy persons who acquire CMV after birth, there are few symptoms and no long-term health consequences. Some persons with symptoms experience a mononucleosis-like syndrome with prolonged fever and a mild hepatitis. Once a person becomes infected, the virus remains alive, but usually dormant, within that person's body for life. Recurrent disease rarely occurs unless the person's immune system is suppressed due to therapeutic drugs or disease. Therefore, for the vast majority of people, CMV infection is not a serious problem.
However, CMV infection is important to certain high-risk groups. Major areas of concern are (1) the risk of infection to the unborn baby during pregnancy, (2) the risk of infection to people who work with children, and (3) the risk of infection to the immunocompromised person, such as organ and bone marrow transplant recipients and persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
Articles
Arvin AM, Fast P, Myers M, Plotkin S, Rabinovich R. Vaccine development to prevent cytomegalovirus disease: report from the National Vaccine Advisory Committee. Clin Infect Dis. 2004 Jul 15;39(2):233-9. Epub 2004 Jun 25. Review.
Institute of Medicine (U.S.) Committee to Study Priorities for Vaccine Development: Vaccines for the 21st Century: A Tool for Decision Making. Washington D.C.: National Academy Press; 2000.
http://books.nap.edu/catalog/5501.html
Report and Recommendations: NIDCD Workshop on Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection and Hearing Loss, March 19-20, 2002, Rockville, Maryland
www.nidcd.nih.gov/funding/programs/hb/cmvwrkshop.asp
P. D. Griffiths, A. McLean and V. C. Emery. Encouraging prospects for immunisation against primary cytomegalovirus infection. Vaccine. 2001 Jan 8;19 (11-12):1356-62.
Date: February 6, 2006
Content source: National Center for Infectious Diseases, Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases